How Podcasting Helps Influencer Relations

Most B2B companies embrace content marketing as a means to amplify their story by leaps and bounds. Long gone are the days of the one and done blog post. Today, one great piece of content can (and should!) be repurposed in the form of infographics, social media posts, blogs and podcasts, to name a few.

Podcasting, in particular, is among our favorite tools of content marketing. Many of our clients either host a podcast or actively participate as guests. But probably the biggest incentive for podcasting is that it can perform double duty as a pillar of your influencer relations strategy.

Think about it. If influencer relations calls for building relationships with those who are considered experts and have social influence in your field, and podcasting calls for reaching out to those very same people to invite on as guests, then we say it’s a match made in B2B heaven. Here’s more on how podcasting can support your efforts in influencer relations:

Podcasts help you make key connections with influencers

Whether you’re hosting a podcast or are a guest on one, podcasting gives you the opportunity to have thoughtful dialogues about issues at the forefront of your industry. When you and a guest (or you and the host) dive deep into the topic at hand, the conversation exposes you to the individuals and companies you want to gain traction with, while letting your personality and expertise shine.

Podcasting also works wonders as a means for getting your foot in the door with an influencer you’re targeting. It’s one thing to send a cold email to a rising industry leader asking to meet for lunch. No offense, but who has the time? But, send a podcast interview request to that same individual and there’s an excellent chance they’ll jump at the opportunity. On the flip side, if someone reaches out to you to be a guest, think about who will be hearing the interview. Podcasting opens doors to raise your profile as a thought leader, so you may share valuable information, grow your following and start building the long-term industry relationships you’re after.

Podcasts boost your position as an industry influencer

Say one big player in your industry acquires another, or a surprise new technology makes its debut. All it takes is scheduling an interview with a key influencer on the subject, and you can have a podcast up in a day! This benefits you in several ways. First, it gives you the opportunity to get the scoop early and dive into what the impact might be for your industry, training people in your industry to look for your insights when news breaks. Secondly, it strengthens your influencer relationships by giving them a platform to share their opinions and build a genuine rapport with you.

Remember, building trust among your growing following is an essential aspect of influencer relations –– delivering thoughtful, informative podcasts with your unique insights is one way to accomplish that. That’s because influencers are selective of who they build relationships and partnerships with. At the end of the day, your success in podcasting builds a bridge they’ll want to cross to reach more people.

Podcasting helps close important deals

It’s easy to assume the goal of podcasting is to get heard by the most people possible –– but popularity isn’t everything. Sure, big audiences are nice to have, but it shouldn’t be your top priority. Quality trumps quantity. It’s better to host a niche podcast that has a fraction of the audience if it’s the audience you actually need. As you’re strategizing topics and guests, you should be asking who the content is relevant to? Ideally this includes decision-makers and industry influencers.

A big part of success in podcasting means using it as a means to reach your business goals. Maybe that includes establishing a number of partnerships with key influencers, or treating it as a sales tool to address the pain points a prospective client has, and then sending them over the episode to listen to. Think of podcasting as a building block, or a stepping stone, to help take your relationships and your profile to the next level.

Bottom-line: your company needs to make the most of what it’s got going on in today’s competitive landscape. Especially with tight budgets and limited bandwidth right now, it’s so important that your efforts pay dividends. Eliminate the mindset of prioritizing a content marketing strategy or an influencer relations strategy, and instead embrace tactics like podcasting that will help you do both at the same time.